Deployment tools using Python (was: unittest for system testing)

[Ben Finney]

Rita <rmorgan466 at gmail.com> writes:

> Currently, I use a shell script to test how my system behaves before I
> deploy an application. For instance, I check if fileA, fileB, and
> fileC exist and if they do I go and start up my application.

The operating system shell, or the deployment framework of choice, is
best suited to that I think.

> This works great BUT
>
> I would like to use python and in particular unittest module to test my
> system and then deploy my app. I understand unittest is for functional
> testing

Well, unittest is for unit testing (testing of small isolated units of
the code). There are many definitions of “functional testing”, and I
don't think ‘unittest’ is a good choice for any of them.

> but I think this too would be a case for it.

Reserve the term “testing” for testing the code of your application, I'd
recommend. Libraries designed for “testing” are not good outside that
domain.

> Any thoughts?

If a shell program isn't up to the job, look at deployment tools like
Fabric <URL:http://pypi.python.org/pypi/Fabric/> or Salt
<URL:http://pypi.python.org/pypi/salt/>.

-- 
 \           “Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in |
  `\                                               prayer.” —Anonymous |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney